Department for Transport

Volkswagen

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Which? survey which showed that 9 out of 10 of the Volkswagen owners surveyed believe they should receive compensation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There has been no assessment of the Which? survey.The Government expects Volkswagen to set out quickly the steps necessary to correct the problem and to support owners of the affected vehicles in the UK.This Government is already playing its part by ensuring vehicle owners will not incur higher VED or Company Car Tax if their existing vehicles are found to be fitted with illegal software that manipulates emissions tests.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for establishing a national testing regime routinely to measure vehicle emissions under real operating conditions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There has been no assessment made at national level.The government has been at the forefront of action at a European level to introduce real driving emissions (RDE) testing, to ensure tests of all new passenger cars and vans accurately represent performance out on the road and ensure public confidence. We will continue to press for the introduction of RDE at the earliest opportunity.

Severn River Crossing

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 12 October concerning operational expenditure on the Severn Crossings (HL2333), whether those figures include the costs of collecting tolls; and if so, what are the specific costs for each year between 2005 and 2014.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The figures provided with the previous answer (HL2333) included the cost of collecting the tolls at the Severn Crossings. The specific costs in relation to the collection of the tolls have not been made available by the concessionaire.

Diesel Vehicles

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace since 1995 in relation to the promotion of diesel engine cars.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There have been numerous contacts between government departments and both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth since 1995. The information on representations made is not readily available and it would be disproportionate to fully retrieve it.I can however confirm that in the last month representations to more than one government department have been made by the organisations raising concerns regarding the possible promotion of diesel engine cars.

Aviation: Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to including producers of aviation fuel in the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the United Kingdom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership established a Transport Energy Task Force in September 2014 to examine options to meet our renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets, including through the wider deployment of sustainable biofuel. The Task Force included input from representatives of the Sustainable Aviation group. The Task Force’s report was published in March 2015 by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones) met with Task Force representatives, including Sustainable Aviation, in July.The Task Force recognised that sustainable biofuels have a valuable role in reducing carbon emissions from transport, particularly in sectors where there are limited alternatives such as aviation.We are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on amendments to the RTFO scheme.

Taxis

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the Law Commission review of taxi and private hire cars, and rickshaws.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Law Commission has proposed extensive reform to the legislation around taxi and private regulation which requires careful consideration before recommending a way forward. We will share this the outcome of this consideration once it is completed.

Network Rail: Performance Standards

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many key performance indicators are used by the Office of Rail and Road to monitor Network Rail’s performance.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have informed me that in the current five yearly regulatory cycle (Control Period 5) that started on 1st April 2014, they established 13 categories of regulated outputs,some of which are disaggregated further, such as by franchised train operator route or by delivery milestones.These outputs include train service reliability, enhancements, health and safety, network availability, network capability, stations, depots, asset management and environment.There are 25 categories of core indicators from these outputs, which are disaggregated further. Full details of the regulated outputs can be found on table 3.11, page 125 of the Final Determination for Control Period 5, a copy of which is attached.The ORR publishes six monthly reports on Network Rail’s progress in relation to these regulated outputs in the ‘Network Rail Monitor’ and the ‘Network Rail Monitor for Scotland’. 



Table 3.11
(Word Document, 32.27 KB)

Great Western Railway Line

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have asked, or plan to ask, Hitachi to equip the trains that will be provided for the Great Western Mainline with diesel as well as electric engines.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The first 36 Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains deployed on the Great Western lines from 2017 will be bi-modes capable of running in diesel or electric mode. The Department for Transport is actively looking at a range of options to ensure passenger benefits are delivered on time. No final decisions have been made.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to hold an inquiry into testing processes for emissions from diesel vehicles and so-called "defeat" devices.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is no plan to hold an inquiry, however, the Government is taking this issue very seriously. The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the UK vehicle approval authority, is working to ensure that the use of defeat devices is not industry wide. VCA is rerunning laboratory tests starting with those VW Group engines for which VCA has provided approvals. These tests are comparing real world driving emissions against laboratory performance.There is no evidence that these emissions tests have been falsified in the UK.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to bring forward the introduction of new tests for fuel emissions and fuel economy in cars.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The government has been at the forefront of action at a European level to ensure tests of all new passenger cars and vans accurately represent performance out on the road and ensure public confidence. We will continue to press for the introduction of real world driving emissions (RDE) and updates to the current laboratory tests at the earliest opportunity.

Aviation: Fuels

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage research into sustainable aviation fuels and advanced fuels technologies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport ran an Advanced Fuels Call for Evidence in 2013/14 to examine the potential of advanced fuels in aviation and other transport sectors that cannot be easily decarbonised without low-carbon fuels. A summary of the evidence received was published with the Department’s response to the consultation on the post-implementation review of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April 2014. Amendments to the RTFO earlier this year increased rewards for gaseous fuels, such as biomethane used in freight, to better reflect their energy content.The Department also commissioned an independent feasibility study to examine the economic benefits and potential of advanced biofuels in the UK, published in February 2014, the study informed the design of the Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Plant Competition for £25m of matched grant funding. Winning projects were announced on 7th September 2015.Following the report of the Transport Energy Task Force in March 2015, we are assessing the benefits of making aviation biofuels eligible for certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and support under that scheme for synthetic fuels from renewable electricity. We aim to include proposals in a public consultation next year on potential amendments to the RTFO scheme.

Harassment: Public Transport

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of joint working between the Metropolitan Police Service and Transport for London in order to prevent abusive verbal attacks on public transport in London.

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to Transport for London about ensuring that its staff are trained to deal with racial abuse, harassment and Islamophobia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Government Ministers have regular meetings with the Mayor and Transport for London to discuss a variety of topics, with transport decision making in London being the primary responsibility of the Mayor, including making provision for ensuring the safety of passengers and staff.The Government has also recently assured that all police forces will be specifically recording anti-Muslim hatred as a specific hate crime and this will be adopted into all thinking.Our new Counter Extremism Strategy is also focused on dealing with all forms of hate crime and bigotry.

Victoria Station

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether landowners in the vicinity of Victoria Station have contributed to the cost of current upgrading work there; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Arrangements for the funding of the Victoria Station Upgrade are the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor. However, I understand the scheme is funded by TfL, supported by a loan from the European Investment Bank.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: LGBT People

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the discrimination and abuse experienced by LGBT people in Burma and of any action being taken to address it.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of cases of discrimination and abuse against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Burma and the use of legislation, such as the 1945 Police Act, to restrict the fundamental rights of the LGBT community, and the 1860 Penal Code which criminalises consensual same-sex relations. Together with partners in the international community, we continue to press Burma to improve its human rights performance, including on LGBT rights, through Resolutions at the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council, and the Universal Period Review process.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Expenditure

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the budget totals for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in each of the last five available financial years; how much of each budget was within the discretion of that department's management; and what proportion of the overall national budget expenditure those two figures represent for the last available year.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Providing the complete information requested would exceed the word limit for responses to written parliamentary questions. However, the information requested is available through Her Majesty's Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s annual reports, whichhave been placed in the Library of the House.

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat is the status of the PRISM programme in the United States following the European Court of Justice’s judgment in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The status of the PRISM surveillance programme in the US is a matter for the US authorities.

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to end the indiscriminate mass surveillance identified in the European Court of Justice’s judgment in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The European Court of Justice did not make any findings of fact in relation to alleged ‘indiscriminate mass surveillance’. The UK agencies do not conduct ‘mass surveillance’. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court, has looked in detail at this. Like the Interception Commissioner, the IPT made clear that Government Communications Headquarters is not conducting ‘mass surveillance’. Furthermore, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament conducted a comprehensive review of Privacy and Security, examining in detail the work of the intelligence agencies, and published its report on 12 March 2015. It said: “our Inquiry has shown that the Agencies do not have the legal authority, the resources, the technical capability, or the desire to intercept the communications of British citizens, or of the internet as a whole.”

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the indiscriminate mass surveillance identified in the European Court of Justice’s judgment in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner did not apply to Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The European Court of Justice did not make any findings of fact in relation to alleged ‘indiscriminate mass surveillance’.The UK agencies do not conduct ‘mass surveillance’. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court, has looked in detail at this. Like the Interception Commissioner, the IPT made clear that Government Communications Headquarters is not conducting ‘mass surveillance’. Furthermore, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament conducted a comprehensive review of Privacy and Security, examining in detail the work of the intelligence agencies, and published its report on 12 March 2015. It said: “our Inquiry has shown that the Agencies do not have the legal authority, the resources, the technical capability, or the desire to intercept the communications of British citizens, or of the internet as a whole.”

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the advice of the former Interception of Communications Commissioner, The Rt Hon Sir Anthony May, at paragraph 2.4 of his report of March 2015 with the European Court of Justice’s judgement in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: National security is a matter solely for Member States. The UK already has one of the strongest frameworks for the oversight of investigatory powers in the world. Building on the independent reports by David Anderson QC, the Royal United Services Institute and the Intelligence and Security Committee, the upcoming Investigatory Powers Bill will update the legal framework governing investigatory powers to ensure it is modern, transparent, fit for purpose and respects both privacy and security. It will ensure consistent, effective statutory safeguards and enhance our already robust oversight system. It will replace the existing statutory scheme with one that is comprehensive and comprehensible, bringing together all of the powers available to the state to access communications in a transparent way.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance will be given under the proposed Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The thematic breakdown of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund spending was provided in a Written Ministerial Statement of 12 March 2015 by the Minister for Government Policy at the Cabinet Office, which was repeated in the House of Lords on the same day by the noble Lord Wallace of Saltaire (HLW379). For reasons of national security, we cannot provide specific details of allocations for partner countries.

EU Action: Qualified Majority Voting

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what areas of policy were transferred from unanimity to qualified majority voting by the Lisbon Treaty; whether the United Kingdom has opt-outs from any of those areas; and, if so, from which areas.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: 51 provisions were transferred from unanimity to qualified majority voting by the Lisbon Treaty. These were published in the Explanatory Memorandum on the Lisbon Treaty of 17 December 2007 as amended by a Written Ministerial Statement by the then Minister for Europe on 20 February 2008, Official Report, column 53WS. Of these, the following 16 provisions either did not apply to the UK due to its opt-outs or would only apply if the UK decided to exercise its justice and affairs opt-in:1) Provisions enabling repeal of the aspects of this article related to state aids policy and the effect of the past division of Germany 2) Provisions enabling repeal of this Article (on transport policy as it affects areas of Germany affected by its past division) 3) Appointment of European Central Bank (ECB) executive board (UK opt-out) 4) Social security 5) Use of the euro 6) Measures relating to the Broad Economic Guidelines and excessive deficit procedure 7) Procedure for entry into the euro 8) Mechanism for peer review of Member States’ implementation of policies in this area 9) Border checks 10) Immigration and Frontier Controls 11) Judicial co-operation in Criminal Matters 12) Minimum rules for criminal offences and sanctions 13) Crime prevention 14) Eurojust 15) Police co-operation 16) Europol

Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of steps taken by Saudi Arabia to revise textbooks, curricula, and teaching methods to remove content disparaging religions other than Islam.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Freedom of religion or belief is severely restricted in Saudi Arabia. Public expression of any religion other than Islam is forbidden, non-Muslims are not permitted to worship openly or establish places of worship in Saudi Arabia although private worship is permitted.We are aware that the Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced programmes focussed on removing material from text books that might be considered hateful or inciteful. We continue to support dialogue and opportunities for reform.

Turkey: EU Accession

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Turkey’s application to accede to the European Union, what assessment they have made of (1) freedom of the press and media, and (2) freedom of the judiciary, in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As part of their EU accession process, we encourage Turkey to continue to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, including the principles of freedom of expression, the separation of powers and an impartial judiciary. We welcome progress made thus far, and as the EU Commission has highlighted, further sustained work is needed to meet EU standards.

Aster Fissehatsion

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Eritrea regarding the detention of Aster Fissehatsion.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the Noble Lord to my response of 24 June 2015 (HL533). We continue to press the Government of Eritrea to fulfil its international human rights obligations. The UK made clear in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 23 June that this must include the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including Aster Fissehasion.

Mahmoud Hussein

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Egypt regarding the detention of Mahmoud Hussein.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the case of Mahmoud Hussein, who has been detained in Egypt since 25 January 2014. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have asked the Egyptian authorities to take action to release journalists and political detainees who remain imprisoned, to review mass judicial decisions, and to remove restrictions on civil society.In January this year, I personally raised concerns over reports of mistreatment of detainees and the importance of due process with the Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights, Dr Mahy Abdel Latif. Our Ambassador and officials in Cairo, regularly raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities, most recently in September 2015.During the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2014, we expressed our concern on a number of issues relating to detainees, including the number of detainees in pre-trial detention and reports of mistreatment or torture. The UK also raised the issue of torture and inhumane treatment in detention in Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council in June 2015.

Ministry of Justice

Defamation: Northern Ireland

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 14 October (HL Deb, col 230), whether it is for the Secretary of State and the courts, or the Northern Ireland Executive, to decide whether the law of defamation in Northern Ireland is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Faulks: Under the Human Rights Act 1998 (section 6), all public authorities are under a duty to act in compliance with the Convention rights set out in that Act. As the law on defamation in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, it is for the Northern Ireland Executive, in considering its policy on the subject, to reach a view on whether the policy under consideration is compatible with the Convention rights.The courts are equally under an obligation to act in compliance with Convention rights. Ultimately, if the compatibility of a policy or legislation is raised before the courts, then the courts will decide the question. In the case of a devolved matter, it would be for the Northern Ireland Executive in the first instance to consider how to respond to any judgment.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people currently receive Universal Credit, and at what cost to the public purse.

Lord Freud: The Universal Credit programme publishes official experimental statistics which are available on GOV.UK.The statistics to 10 September show that 125,877 people were on the Universal Credit caseload. Cost information for the current UC caseload is not available for publication.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government Departments: Timber

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the responses that were received following the letter sent by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water, Forestry, Rural Affairs and Resource Management to all departments in March asking how each was addressing the timber procurement policy.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We have no plans to publish the responses from Permanent Secretaries to Defra officials; however, where appropriate, Departments have covered timber under their supply chain reporting under the Greening Government Commitments.Defra officials and the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) have used the responses to the letter sent to 15 Departments, to inform facilitated discussions with Departments. These discussions provided targeted support for effective Timber Procurement Policy (TPP) reporting for managers and leaders, as well as an opportunity to share good practice. For example, a standard set of legal clauses has been developed (in line with guidance from Cabinet Office) for use in future construction procurement projects, to mandate compliance against the TPP and provide for appropriate evidence from the supply chain. Other Departments have Guidance Notes to support the TPP and have included CPET-recommended wording in technical specifications. CPET continue to train new procurers across Government, to ensure they understand how to implement the TPP. This week 30 staff from MoD are attending training.

Government Departments: Timber

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what services they will introduce to replace the advisory, training and assessment services on the government's timber procurement policy currently provided by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber when funding for its work comes to an end in 2016.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) has been in place since 2004 and has advised and trained procurers across the public sector on implementation of the UK Government’s Timber Procurement Policy (TPP). CPET has been educating public procurers to meet their requirements under TPP and guidance will continue to be made available via the GOV.UK website. The certification schemes FSC and PEFC have been recently reviewed and it has been confirmed that they continue to provide Category A evidence of meeting the TPP. Defra is working with stakeholders who may wish to create additional support services for procurers of timber.

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Nurses

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will reconsider their proposal that nurses who are not United Kingdom citizens be deported if they are not earning £35,000 per annum after five years in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: In 2012, the Government introduced new rules to break the link between coming to the UK to work and settling permanently. Under these rules, which take effect from 6 April 2016, non-EEA workers will need to earn at least £35,000 to remain permanently, in order to ensure that those who settle are those who make the greatest economic contribution to the United Kingdom. Those in PhD level occupations or whose roles are in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold. Workers who do not meet the settlement rules after six years will be expected to leave the UK when their visa expires.On 15 October, the Home Secretary announced that nurses will be added to the Government’s Shortage Occupation List on a temporary basis, pending a full review by the independent Migration Advisory Committee. This will ease pressure on the NHS at a time when the Government is introducing tough new controls on costly agency spending. It will help the NHS improve continuity of care for patients, invest in the frontline and maintain safe staffing levels.

Department of Health

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what NHS pathways will be available to patients newly diagnosed as suffering from (1) multiple myeloma, and (2) rarer cancers, when changes are made to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that a draft treatment pathway for patients with multiple myeloma is currently in the process of being finalised and is likely to be published early in 2016. This has been the subject of public consultation and is being revised to take into account the comments received.Work on the treatment pathways for patients with rarer cancers is planned for development and consultation in 2016.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the United Kingdom life sciences industry of their planned changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Neither the Department nor NHS England has made any such assessment.The Government regularly holds discussions with life sciences companies about the United Kingdom business environment and these routinely include discussion about the impact of policies such as the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).The independent Accelerated Access Review is considering the long term landscape for innovation adoption and how schemes like the CDF best fit within this.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the global standard of care that will result from their planned changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that no assessment has been made of the impact on the global standard of care that will result from any changes to Cancer Drugs Fund.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the appraisal criteria upon which medicines for rarer cancers are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it is not planning to specifically review the methods used for appraisal of medicines for rarer cancers.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority the NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group gives to advice it receives from the Rare Diseases Advisory Group.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Given the range of specialised services that the NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) needs to consider for prioritisation, CPAG draws strongly on the expertise that Rare Diseases Advisory Group is able to provide on highly specialised services.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria the NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group uses in making commissioning decisions.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The criteria against which NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group considers proposed investments for specialised services are as follows:- There must be adequate and clinically reliable evidence to demonstrate clinical effectiveness;- There must be measurable benefits to patients;- The intervention should offer equal or greater benefit than other forms of care routinely commissioned by the NHS;- While considering the benefit of stimulating innovation, NHS England will not confer higher priority to a treatment or intervention solely on the basis that it is the only one available;- NHS England may agree to fund interventions for rare conditions where there is limited published evidence on clinical effectiveness;- The intervention must be available to all patients within the same patient group (other than for clinical contra-indication);- The intervention should be likely to reduce health inequalities and will have regard to any relevant broader equality issues;- The intervention should benefit the wider health and care system;- The intervention should advance parity between mental and physical health; and- The intervention should demonstrate value for money.The criteria are set out in NHS England’s response to a public consultation, Investing in Specialised Services, of June 2015, a copy of which is attached.



CPAG Funding Principles
(PDF Document, 113.51 KB)

Pregnancy Tests

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that all evidence, and not just scientific studies, is presented to the inquiry into the safety of hormone pregnancy tests.

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how people and organisations can make representations to the inquiry into the safety of hormone pregnancy tests.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The terms of reference for the inquiry into the safety of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) state that the Expert Working Group (EWG) of the Commission on Human Medicines will consider all available evidence on the possible association between exposure in pregnancy to HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy (in particular congenital anomalies, miscarriage and stillbirth). This will include scientific studies as well as wider sources of evidence.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is providing the secretariat to the review and is compiling all the available information. To date, the MHRA has requested relevant published and unpublished information from all companies whose predecessors marketed HPTs and has conducted a search of the National Archives with a view to obtaining a complete set of historical documents relevant to this issue. The MHRA will also search for all relevant published literature and review all suspected adverse drug reactions that have been submitted in association with HPTs in the United Kingdom. All of this information will be made available to the EWG.Interested individuals and organisations were invited to provide any information relevant to a possible association between the use of oral HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy through a public call for evidence between 25 March and 30 June 2015. In addition, the EWG will hear evidence from a number of individuals who feel their lives have been adversely affected by HPTs.The report of the review and all documents will be made public subject to the usual legal requirements.